Trials Of Love
by afallfromgracex3
Summary: Sasuke is back in to Konoha, & while awaiting trial for his crimes as a missing nin, sparks between him and Naruto fly. Drama, humor, fluff, yaoi; everything you need in a quality fanfic! NaruSasu Kakasasu Kakaita GaaNeji SakuLee Naruita. REVEIW!
1. The Lady Doth Protest Too Much

...I'm back, guys.

And guess what?

**SEVENTH. FUCKING. FANFICTION.**

**I just have to say, I'm really _really_ proud of this one. It's a huge concept and I'm totally excited because it's absolutely addictive. I want this to have hundreds and hundreds of reviews ;D**

**They'll be tons of lemons, **

**Give it a chance! If you review mine, I'll review one of your stories too :) And if I like it, I'll list it on my page and recomend it! Not a bad deal guys.**

**Promise it won't disapoint.**

**Oh and again:**

**REVIEW!**

**-G :)**

* * *

It was just a kiss.

The world that circulated inside the Hidden Leaf Village, the proud Konohagakure, was to be blown apart, in every direction, because of that one, little _kiss_.

Sasuke wasn't going to pretend now that they hadn't always done everything together. They saved the Hidden Leaf, ironically, six months before, from eminent doom. Sasuke had abandoned Madara, fought his demons and with the help of a forbidden jutsu and the fifth Hokage, brought back to life his brother Itachi. The three of them had almost torn apart their bodies bringing down Madara, many lives had been lost and homes uprooted, but they had done it. Together.

And then Naruto had to go and kiss him; it was on the lips, boyish, chapped ones against his own thin mouth, but it was to turn the universe they lived and loved in upside down. A fistful of raven locks he was losing to the fingers that were gripping the roots of his hair for balance, a tongue sliding haphazardly in between his teeth.  
Sasuke couldn't believe it had all started this way; but somehow, blithely unaware, stubborn-ass blissfully ignorant heart-of-gold Naruto could. A kiss.

It was just a kiss.

* * *

Part One:

"Love is blind, but friendship closes its eyes." _–Unknown_

* * *

Kakashi Hitake's Apartment: Konoha. November 9th, 1:13pm.

Kakashi Hitake was an easy man to please. He liked his solitude above all else; above flipping through the latest issue of a questionable novel, above making satirical comments to his roommates Naruto and Sasuke about their intelligence, their (lack of) social skills, inability to leave the toilet seat down. Above a goodnight sleep and above those days where his hair stuck up in precisely just the right directions.

"Oh my god Naruto, Fuck _off_!"

"Make me, you stupid stick-up-the-ass prick!"

"…Why aren't you _fucking off_?"

…weather it was meditation (head against the wall, hitai-ate slanted over both eyes zoning out from the television for a ten minute nap) or a cup of lukewarm tea and a steaming bath, it suited the silver-haired jonin more than any gift he could ever receive. However just because Kakashi Hitake was an easy man to please didn't mean at all it happened often. Especially since Naruto Uzumaki had moved himself in.

Swinging his keys on his index finger with the last chirps of a whistled jingle about the death of a certain blond, Kakashi waltzed into his two-bedroom Konoha flat to a leaky ceiling, sticking doorknob and with his luck, to more bestial howling that dreary afternoon. He sighed and the screaming raged on; curses accompanied by shrill sounds of protest and then, mocking laughter. The bathroom door slammed shut with an 'I've_ HAD IT_' and a click of the lock. It was then violently kicked and futilely sworn at before silence seized hold of the apartment.

"If you don't pick up your clothes…" A voice seethed from the bathroom. "…the _next_ time I walk into the living room, I'm throwing them out the window." Naruto eyed the storm clouds lurking outside the open windowpane and pictured Sasuke's face, red and crinkled like a leaf.

"Go ahead, see if I care!" He spat.

"The ramen goes too."

"You wouldn't!"

"Try me."

Kakashi signed and dropped his jonin vest on the couch with a shrug. Now one of them had locked themselves in the bathroom, like an emotionally unstable preteen girl, the other was pounding on it like a needy child. They were both seventeen year old boys, and Kakashi let out another sigh, each one longer than the next; it was much too expected.

"_Kakashi Hitake. Jonin. Reputable Konoha citizen. Hokage Candidate. Powerful Sharingan wielder…smutty-novel enthusiast. Babysitter." _He mused, pressing himself up against the wall with mild curiosity, wondering if they really had anything left to fight about.

Naruto Uzumaki's constant, obnoxious voice dropped as if feeling regretful for the shower of insults and barrage of kicks to the bathroom door. "There's_ nothing_ you can do about it teme…I'm staying. He turned the locked doorknob repeatedly for emphasis. "I brought you back to Konoha so I'm seeing this all the way through. You might as well unlock the goddamn door already, sheesh."

He was met with stony silence and fierce glares he was sure were boring holes into the door from the other side. Kakashi recognized this as Sasuke Uchiha's retort, and Naruto fumed, which was exactly what Kakashi knew Sasuke wanted. "Don't make me break down the door."

That's when Kakashi knew he had to step in. When Naruto moved himself in not six days ago, Kakashi put up with a lot of things, quite gracefully. The blond had shown up with a bright smile and proceeded to infect the previously sterile apartment like an orange, foul-mouthed disease. Naruto's gym-bag of sweaty clothes emptied across the living room, knickknacks and Polaroid photos taped to the once white and empty walls, a tooth brush that spread mildew onto the bathroom sink tiles, the ever-draining supply of ramen. And of course, instantly starting that evening, screaming battles with his other room-mate.

"How many times do I have to tell you I don't need you here! I had three years to decide that and I still don't!"

"You're so ungrateful! You can't think outside yourself for a goddamn minute, can you?"

…So it had been one thing when the T.V was destroyed, his book shelf incinerated,the wall between the kitchen and his bedroom blown apart. But it was another if he was going to break down the bathroom door, because it was the only place Kakashi occasionally got a sliver of alone time.

Suddenly as Kakashi was opening his mouth, as if on cue, sparks from the raven haired boy's Chidori crackled through the door. Kakashi instantly gave up before he got himself caught up in another one of their messes. He turned down the hall, stepped into his bedroom, opened the window, threw one leg out and-

"No, Kakashi sensei, not again!" Kakashi's eyes widened. Naruto's ears were getting so good, not only could he not enjoy a midnight snackora phone conversation in his own bedroom, he couldn't even escape from it. "You can't bail _now_. You need to tell Sasuke what a prissy bitch he's being. And you need to cook dinner." There went his plan of visiting the Hokage to see if he could pass his assignment-looking over the once missing nin Sasuke Uchiha before his trial- to one of the anbu teams that were constantly prowling around, having a much needed drink and crashing at Guy's for the night.

"What can I say, Naruto, is that you two need to work it out yourselves." He gave the most generic answer he could muster and raised an eyebrow as Naruto's frown deepened and he crossed his arms heavily over his chunin uniform, shielding a broad chest. "…do you even remember what you're fighting about?"

The blonde's face grew flushed and hot. "…uh, well, what can I say-"

"Let me remind you; you were being an idiot, what's new." A muffled voice hissed through the bathroom door.

Kakashi had been terrified of being roommates with Sasuke Uchiha; the boy, an ex student and once, a close friend, reminded him of himself in ways he didn't want to think about arguing over coffee every morning. But it had actually been rather peaceful. Sasuke kept to himself, his possessions were organized and he was _clean._ Kakashi appreciated this more than he thought he would. Sure, he had received the occasional nervous letter from a neighbor about a certain ex-rouge ninja setting booby traps in the front lawn at three in the morning, and sure, he had an amusing interest in interior decorating, but in general, he couldn't complain.

Naruto was a different story.

When he forced himself into Kakashi's living quarters insisting he'd help look after Sasuke and not having it any other way, he had not only left repulsive signs of teenage boy in his wake, he brought out every neurotic, infuriating, rebellious, irrational side of his once livable roommate.

"Look Naruto." Kakashi breathed, putting a hand on his shoulder, weary already of playing Dad. "Just pick up your things off the floor, coax Sasuke –peacefully- out of the bathroom and I'll pick up some Ichiraku. I've got to go meet up with Sakura. She has to stay here tonight, we're discussing our latest mission, last one before the trial, and we need all night to work out a plan of action." He dreaded slightly what he was about to say, but didn't hint to it, bracing himself for Naruto's reaction. "If you still insist on staying here, you have to share a room with Sasuke tonight."

"WHAT." Naruto gasped.

"FORGET IT." Sasuke burst through the door, shattering it to splinters, clutching a fistful of wispy raven hair in frustration. "I can't even, I just can't even-"The boy's anger got the best of him, sentences refusing to continue. It wasn't fair, it just wasn't fair; had Kakashi any sense of right or wrong?

"Now now, boys, you can do it, I know you can." Winking and turning the other way, he left the two teenagers alone who could barely stand the sight of each other with the prospect of sleeping mere inches apart.

Naruto shoved Sasuke out of the way, stripped and leapt in the shower, determined to scrub off his frustration, and Sasuke stormed into the living room to either write in his journal or rearrange the furniture. Kakashi broke a light smile under his mask, swung his keys around his fingers as he whistled, turning off the water heater in the hall before slamming the door, hearing a scream from the apartment for once he was glad to hear.

-**Flashback**-

Outskirts of Konoha. April 12th. 4:02pm.

_"Sasuke, don't you get it?" Naruto was finished; drained of chakra and the nine tails had retreated. But he was in better physical shape that Sasuke could dream to be. Susano'o had been disintegrated by the 8__th__ tail of Kyuubi and the spirit blade of Totsuka lay in glittering pieces like broken glass around and underneath them._

_"What am I supposed to get?" Sasuke could hardly breath, feeling broken ribs chip against each other in his chest every time he took an inhale. Would he die here? At Naruto's hands? Mangekyou Sharingan, the eyes he had taken from his dead brother, ceased to give him any beautiful red light. His eyes were stone cold and black and losing their life and the energy it takes to keep them open._

_"We can't do this alone; we'll only kill each other and that doesn't solve anything!"_

_"Nn…Naruto." Rage over took him, the idea of losing far more painful than any wound Naruto could inflict on him. He could feel the blond groaning and stumbling to his knees. Sasuke was on all fours, trying desperately to look him in the eyes. "We're meant to kill each other…d-don't you understand?"_

_"You're just going to let Itachi die in vain, then, aren't you!"_

_Sasuke froze._

_"Don't you __**dare **__speak of I-Itachi!"_

_"Idiot!" He grabbed Sasuke's hair, the smaller brunette letting out a pitiful whine at the harsh touch, and locked their eyes. "Itachi sacrificed everything for you and this city, his life. What do you think he'd say to this? You're so willing to do anything to destroy the village he loved…it's pathetic!"_

_Sasuke couldn't help it; he had known this all along. Suddenly, as if he was losing his eyesight again, his vision blurred. Tears. Kami; he was crying. Sasuke's bones seemed to fall apart in front of Naruto, and although he was mortified at his weakness, he couldn't stop it no matter how hard he tried._

_"Sasuke…we have to do this together, okay?" Naruto's big blue eyes welled with water he hid with a snarl as he pulled the raven-haired boy's bloodied face into a hug that crushed his windpipe and left him breathless. "We have to do this…together."_

_Together…_

-**End Flashback**-

* * *

**I've really fallen into the dark depths of NaruSasu.**  
**It's dark down here.**

**Anyway;**

**REVIEW!**  
**Onto the next chapter; It's got a lemon in there, so you'll love it I promise. I worked really hard on it :/ So show me your love.**

**I'm uploading both at once so you get more of a taste for the story :) But 10 reviews until Chapter three, so tell your friends, family and lovers!**

**-G ;)**


	2. Stolen Kisses are Always Sweetest

**I can't believe this has no reviews, it breaks my heart! UGH!**

**LOVE ME BACK.**

**Read and review! ITS ABOUT TO GET SO. GOOD.**

**-gracie**

Kakashi Hitake's Apartment: Konoha. November 9th, 11:32pm.

"But the best part was-"

"Naruto just shut up and go to sleep."

Naruto had been ranting gleefully about Sakura's shorter than usual skirt, his eyes large, bright, the only light left illuminating the room. He scowled at being cut off, burying himself under the comforter, _Sasuke's_ comforter, with a grunt and the mummer of an insult. _Buzz kill_. That was it. Sasuke grimaced, although in his opinion there was absolutely no shame in being buzz-kill, and suffocated himself with a pillow.

Maybe this time Naruto would actually go to sleep.

Sasuke threw a slim hand into his mass of raven hair, getting much too long for his taste. His trial was soon, nine days after this mission. That was unnerving as well as exciting, and he took a heavy breath confident that he discouraged the blond to silence. For one thing, the trial meant that possibly he wouldn't have a handful of anbu looking through his windows, peering over isles at the grocery store and scurrying beneath the floorboards like little rats. It meant that there was a chance that his clan's death might not be entirely in vain; that maybe he would be able to go on missions again and protect the village like a noble shinobi, instead of living in guarded confined quarters under the Hokage's tower. Because living like this was purgatory at best; not being able to leave the village even on missions, stuck with community service and constant surveillance… he felt like a science experiment, and this way he was perpetually reminded that at one point, he was also a traitor.

"Sasuke, can I have one of your pillows?" Naruto chirped.

The raven haired boy groaned.

"You should have thought of that before you moved yourself in here genius."

"But that's no fair, you have three!"

"Serves you right."

"I'm not above tickling you, _Sasu-chan_."

"Naruto if you lay a finger on me, I swear to god I'll-KYAHH!" Sasuke found himself a yard or two away from the bed, fists raised aggressively above his chest and snarling, poised for battle. Naruto was grinning ear to stupid ear, bright blue eyes glinting with mischief, and he swept up all the pillows into his arms.

"…all mine now, asshole."

"Naruto, goddammit…"His face was splashed with red.

"Serves you _right_." And he rolled over as Sasuke forced his way into the bed they had resentfully agreed to share, made a swipe for a pillow, trying to situate himself on the very edge of the mattress. Naruto's Cheshire-cat smile and his obnoxious laughter drew a line across Sasuke's forehead, knowing he was still grinning to his back. He grabbed one of the cushions furiously and Naruto gave up almost too easily, stretching his lanky frame fully across the length bed.

"Sasuke-baka, is that your foot?"

"My foot is _nowhere_ near you."

"Then what's this?" Sasuke's eyes shot open at the touch and he slammed his fists down in the narrow space that had been the barrier between the back of his head and Naruto's face.

"Go. To. Sleep."

"Alright alright, sheesh." The blond snickered, and silence gripped the room.

Sasuke sighed, pushing the blond as far out of his mind as possible. If the jury voted that Sasuke was still a traitor, after six months of living with Kakashi and making good of his clan's name, after all Naruto pleas to Tsunade and his promises to make right of all his horrible wrongs, it would be the end. It would be the end of his freedom, the start of permanent isolation. It would be the end of Team 7's after-mission dinners at Ichiraku, the rare smiles, and the end of putting on his new forehead protector bearing the leaf symbol every morning. It would be the end of Sasuke.

And, naturally, it would be the end of Naruto. His brow creased.

…That huge responsibility was exactly why Sasuke need sleep, a lot of it, he thought. The stress pressed down on his eyelids, they fluttered closed, and-

"Hey Sasuke, don't you like girls?"

Sasuke's eyes shot open, and his heart rocketed into his throat, breaking several ribs on the way up. He swallowed slowly, taking a sharp inhale; this was the familiar response to this type of question, but it was miserable all the same. A nauseating sensation churning in his gut, bringing with it the need purge. He clenched his fists, feeling the uncontrollable urge to kill Naruto swiftly or to die on the spot.

"What the hell are you thinking, Naruto?" Sasuke mumbled, trying to mask his terror but every word came out in a raspy snarl. Pushing the blame right on to the blond usually made for a decent fight and completely dropped the issue. He prayed to anyone listening that it was just a fluke, that Naruto was just bored again and that scolding him or cuffing him on the shoulder would completely and effectively distract him. "We're not having a slumber party."

"But Sasu-ke." Naruto whined and shot up, ignoring his chagrin, eyes wide and blue as ever. "But it's important! Everyone gets crushes, I bet even _Kakashi_ does. You never talk about anything but ninja stuff, you're quite, you keep to yourself...it's just not natrual, you know?" He paused. "So I was thinking-"

"You thought…because I don't chase girls around like some kind of rabid dog in heat, that I'm automatically…gay?" Sasuke completed his statement matter-of-factly without so much as a flinch.

"Well… well…" Naruto blinked. "Well, yeah! That is what I'm asking! I could never fucking tell with you, and you're supposed to be my best friend." He swallowed loudly. "Are you some kind of- of- you know, one of those guys, Sasuke?"

The same shock burst in his chest, like popping red balloons under his breastbone. The lightning like pain was made into a fragile form of torture by the massive cerulean eyes that were staring at him with a curiosity that seemed so clueless, nonjudgmental, so far out of synch with Naruto's actual words that it almost hurt.

"Well?" Sasuke's head was spinning, Naruto was eyeing him, and he felt himself swallowing and furrowing his brow.

"Well what if I was?" Sasuke snapped tetchily, shoving the insecurity back down his throat. "Would it really matter anyway? I don't have time for… for relationships, or anything. You know that. You should know that better than anybody, it's not like I talk to anyone else." The bitter edge to his words was too powerful to even bother hiding. Even if it was just to call him an idiot, he talked to Naruto at least once a day. And Kami had he had missed that in those three, lonely, miserable, vengeful years, surrounded by loss. He was fuller, here, now. He had Naruto again. Though, he had a feeling, he always sort of did.

That was something, it was more than something.

"Sasuke don't be like that. If I have time, you have time!" Naruto scowled at his best friend's constant pessimism. "It's not like you'd have to go looking for a girl, you know, or a guy or whatever's your thing, I guess." He looked slightly uncomfortable on the last, but trundled on past it just the same. "I mean, c'mon, Sasuke… we're friends, right? You can tell me.

Sasuke sighed heavily, avoiding his eyes. There was no way to get out of this now: if he said no, he'd be lying, in a way, and he couldn't do that to Naruto...but if he didn't answer, it would be a yes by default. He hid the bottom half of his face under the blankets to cover his hideous blush. "I don't like girls," he said bluntly with a tint of scorn, and quietly as if someone was listening at the door. "If that makes me gay, then…then so be it. But you know it's not like I'm constantly staring at guys' asses either. So…so call it whatever you want."

Naruto stared at him for a moment, eyes misted with confusion. The words hanging in the air acted like a sledgehammer to his chest. It was as though he was waiting for a judgment on his whole entire life, like he was awaiting his judgment in front of Tsunade in nine or so days. It wasn't as though Naruto's pronouncement actually mattered, though. The words could sit there unanswered for all eternity, for the usual threat of it destroying their fragile relationship was _absurd_.

Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha weren't 'friends' as most boys were. It was a special, different sort of relationship; they were like the lines on the machines next to hospital beds, the last drops of life that kept flat-line nightmares away. The sort of co-dependent relationship in which Naruto could swear to strangle Sasuke with his own intestines and dance on his grave, and proclaim him his best friend in the very same breath. No matter how contradictory, both statements were always perfectly true.

So, after all, even if Sasuke were to reveal to Naruto, let's say, a secret love for clowns and tap dancing, it wouldn't-_it couldn't_- falter their bond. The years apart and countless declarations of hate and death didn't; when he came back, they were family again and nothing had changed.

Sometimes, Sasuke got the feeling that nothing ever would.

"But don't you like _something_?" Naruto bit his lip and screwed up his face up for a moment, like a child. Sasuke watched him wordlessly for a moment, and was startled when the blonde shoved himself in Sasuke's personal space, inches from his face showing him a sly grin. "What do you think of when you…when you…" He was dumbfounded, pausing with frustration, embarrassment and several other emotions Sasuke was too amused to place. Making illicit hand gestures, he waved around frantially. "When you…you know, boys or girls!"

"When I _what_?" Sasuke knew full well what the blonde was hinting to, but there was no way he was going to demean himself enough to answer _that_ question without humiliating Naruto a bit first.

"When you… you… you know." Naruto frowned darkly. "Oh my god, you know what I mean, you stupid asshole."

"Why is it so hard for you to say 'masturbate'?" Sasuke mumbled dryly.

"Shut up and answer the question! Or, I swear I'm gonna run around Konohakure telling everybody that Uchiha Sasuke is a prissy faggot who likes to wear lacy panties and a tutu while he sings show tunes in front of a mirror! So THERE!"

"Have fun, no one would believe you."

"…GAH."

Sasuke found himself stifling the stirrings of a smile, watching the person he was closest to in the world flail about like an epileptic puppy. It wasn't something he did often, smiling… it usually made him look either psychotic or sick when he did, and in recent years especially there had been no call for it. Whenever he did, however, it always seemed to be because of Naruto. Making fun of Naruto, but… Naruto, nonetheless. Pointing out his shortcomings for his own enjoyment used to be something Sasuke would have never considered; what was the point of warning someone of their mistakes? What did he care if they fell and failed? It was a waste of time. But with Naruto, it was always a perfect excuse for him to call him a waste of orange fabric and organs, to point out what a pathetic excuse for a ninja he was. And then Naruto got mad. He got _furious._ And it was…

It was _fun_.

"Just answer the question, Sasu-chan?" He bit his lip, Kami, was he pouting? "It's not a big deal, we're all guys here!"

"Why do you care so much what I masturbate to?" He was avoiding the question, and it was embarrassingly obvious. But Naruto was pressing and not only was it annoying, it was petrifying. There was something that was unnerving about the way he was so insistent on finding out this scrap of information like it would complete some massive puzzle. It nauseated him.

It frightened him.

"I'm being your best friend here!" The blonde disputed, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "You can't seem to figure out what you want to put where, so I'm just trying to give you some help! Tell you what-" He assumed his best, very sober 'I'm-thinking-very-hard-on-your-behalf' face, and nodded firmly. "Why don't you just go in the bathroom and jack off, right now? Then you can come out and share the experience. Heck record the whole thing, I'm sure it'd be a great learning experience."

"So now you're fun of me?" Sasuke could almost feel his face darken, the hands that had been limp at his sides clenching into fists. He should have known better, there was no way they could have a serious conversation without one of them deciding to be an asshole. And as for the faltering idea that Naruto had actually cared about the seriousness of any of this, it was destitute. That the idea of him maybe being gay or whatever he might be was something more than just a punch line in a stupid joke to procrastinate his actual responsibilities.

That was why Sasuke never bothered to bring it up. Not in the months past when teenage hormones blinded rational thought, not when he was alone at night and missing his parents. Naruto was the only person on earth who seemed to have the slightest idea of who he was, but it was completely useless to talk about it with him, ever.

Because Naruto didn't care. Like a brilliant defense mechanism, Naruto had decided a long time ago that as long as he didn't care about things, they couldn't bother him. If he was a letdown and a fool to everyone he met, if he didn't care what they thought of him, then it didn't matter. If he made fun of everything that made him uncomfortable, it was nothing but a joke. Sasuke knew the minute he even hinted to the fact that Naruto himself had caused such irrational uproar in his life since the day he laid eyes on him, it wouldn't matter at all.

It didn't matter the nights he had spent half awake in rooms just like this one, he had kept one hand on the springs so he would know if Naruto stood up from the bed; so he would know if he was going to leave. Those he spent in irrational terror that Naruto would get up and walk away, and never come back, none of them mattered. Because of Naruto ever found out how Sasuke was afraid to lose him- him, Uzumaki Naruto! Sasuke was afraid to lose the most annoying waste of air in all of existence!- then he would have to deal with it. And dealing with it would mean that it would become a joke. It would become a joke that Naruto had managed to burrow his way into the coldest, deepest spots of Sasuke's very soul and made him feel again.

Even if it was just frusteration, anger, annoyance, the blonde had done it. He had made Sasuke feel something. He had woken him up from his cold revenge and made him passionately strive for something else, even if it was only to defeat him, to show him that he was a worthless pile of orange fabric and organs and a pathetic excuse for a ninja.

And if he _deigned_ to mention that every time he touched himself in total desperation he saw those the big blue eyes that haunted him, the spiky blond hair and the big white grin, heard that ever present "datteba yo" in the back of his mind, longed the feel of his cheerful warmth… Naruto would tease him. He wouldn't find it repulsive like a normal, straight, man in his right mind, he would laugh.

And that would kill him.

"Of course I'm making fun of you," Naruto scoffed. "You're acting dumb. C'mon, Sasuke, it's not a big deal. I mean, it can't be anything too bad. Even if it's boys, who cares, right?" He chuckled, awkwardly. "You know?"

"What if it's little kids?" Sasuke snapped, finally losing the careful hold on his temper. "Or goats? Or old men? What if it's you, Naruto? Would you laugh about that, or would you sleep in the tub scared I'm gonna rape you in the middle of the night?"

The laugh that slipped from the blonde was so forced and unconvincing it was painful. "Sasuke, you hate little kids! And me, you're kidding. You know even ugly girls think about hot guys, y'know. No one thinks about a guy like me." Naruto continued to chortle, eyes slits, but there was a tremor somewhere in his cheek, a slight furrow in his brow. "If you are gay and you're thinking about me, then you've got some bigger problems than just being a homo."

"I guess I do." Sasuke muttered, resigned

"Well, you probably- whaaahhhh?" Naruto's eyes flew open wide, his jaw unhinging comically wide.

…He would find out sooner or later, anyway.

"I guess I've got more than a goddamn problem," Sasuke snapped. "No, I must be insane. Because only a desperate idiot would like you. But I guess that makes me the biggest idiot, on earth, doesn't it? Because from the mandate of some sadistic god on some plane high above, I like you. I really really like you, and I couldn't tell you why. So laugh all you want, Naruto. Uchiha Sasuke is a great big queer and he's got a crush on _you_. Go wake up Kakashi and Sakura, tell the whole village while you're at it, I couldn't care less."

Neither of them could speak; Sasuke panting hard and Naruto's mouth and eyes agape. Sasuke swallowed hard. He wanted to take every stupid impulsive syllable back, laugh at Naruto for even taking him seriously. Then they could joke around, one of them could pick a fight, and they could go to bed angry. Wake up and go on a mission and resume with their lives as though those three words were never uttered at all.

But that would be too much like he couldn't do that to Naruto.

"Y-you… you like me?" He looked more than dumbfounded, more than stunned, like his entire little world had been taken firmly by the shoulders and shaken senseless.

"Yes. I like you."

"…Me?"

Sasuke couldn't take it anymore. He cuffed Naruto's bare shoulder, fingers grazing the warm skin that had been exposed by the sleeveless shirt he had chosen to sleep in. "Who else, dumbass? There's no one else here. So let's just forget it, it's no big deal."

"What? Of course it's a big deal!"

The raven haired boy's black eyes snapped to Naruto's dumbly lit face in shock, his stomach doing backflips in his throat. Wasn't this supposed to be when Naruto made it all into a joke? Where was the mocking retort that Sasuke mustered afterwards, the laugh to break the tension?

"Naruto…" He whispered, instantly losing every bit of composure he had. If he had to tell him it should have been a week from now. A year from now. He should have thought it out, maybe in a letter. In any form or place or distant future where he wouldn't have to see those massive blue eyes staring him in astonishment.

But there was no going back now.

"Well it's how you feel, right? So it's a big deal, cause it's… important, y'know? It's important how you feel, and it's nice that you told me, 'cause you never tell me anything important. I was starting to think you didn't trust me or something. And Sasuke, c'mon you're my best friend, so of course I'm gonna care! And… and… yeah." Naruto's cheerful rambling faded into stammering, his eyes avoiding Sasuke's face at all costs. "You just… y'know, caught me off guard, and stuff. Yeah. I wasn't expecting that."

"…Sorry." There was nothing else to say.

"Dummy, don't apologize." Naruto waved a hand like he was dismissing him, breaking into another laugh. "It's not a bad thing at all because guess what? No one's ever told me they liked me and I bet…no one ever has. So it's a good thing. Not a bad thing." He until he couldn't find any more words to fill the silence, resting his eyes as far away from Sasuke's as possible.

"I bet you wish I was anyone but me right now," Sasuke noted, his tone bridging between irony and bitterness. Naruto blinked at him, then after a pause, grinned almost wickedly.

"'Course not! Where would you get an idea like that?...Plus, you know what's hilarious? I just realized it, picture this: the guy that all the girls _love_ likes the guy all the girls can't stand! Seriously, do you believe it? If anyone ever got a load of this…" He snickered, trailing off, glowing evilly.

"You can't tell _a_ _soul__**...**_I don't care how much of a laugh you'll get out of it. If you so much as speak one word of this to anyone-"

Naruto raised his hands defensively, face crinkling up in amusement. "I wouldn't, really! Relax and trust me a little, willya?" His tone grew faintly serious. "I mean it, Sasuke. You're honest to god my friend. I wouldn't do something like that to you."

"…Well..." Sasuke cast his eyes down; embarrassed and wishing agonizing death upon himself.

Silence fell over them again but the tension that built between them was enough to keep Sasuke from even trying to get a wink of sleep. Of course it didn't help that Naruto insisted on stretching himself out on Sasuke's bed like owned it. No. They'd have to do the mission tomorrow sleepless. Even though if Sasuke hadn't professed his feelings to his best friend there probably wouldn't have been much sleep anyway with Naruto's snoring, but this way, it was _much_ more uncomfortable.

"Hey what if I taught you the Sexy No Jutsu!"

Sasuke whirled around to stare, bewildered. "What for?"

Naruto grinned. "Well if you were a girl, I would totally do you."

Sasuke wanted so desperately to hurt him, to hit him hard, Kami he wanted to. His skin was spread like thick icing over his skeleton, and any working muscle had melted. It hurt that Naruto couldn't see how much it had taken out of him to be this pathetic, needy mess on the sheets, it hurt that he could possibly miss how serious this was.

"If that chair over there was a girl, you'd probably do it, idiot." The hard set of his jaw hurt, his hands trembling limp and useless. How could he be such an fool?

"You're right." Naruto's soft agreement shocked him out of the building rage, those bright eyes unfocused in thought. "But it wouldn't wanna do me…probably wouldn't even wanna know me, right?"

"Naruto…" It ached somewhere deep inside to watch him like this, fighting like a man to hide the hurt that he couldn't escape. Naruto turned a cheerful grin on him, the corners of his mouth almost touching his slitted eyes. "But you like me," he pointed out, smugly. "So you're not like the chair. Right?"

"Guess not." He mumbled, still unerved. Naruto's eyes had crept open by now, and were watching him with a level of intensity that wreaked havoc with his heartbeat. To call it strange was an understatement.

"Y'know, if I tilt my head and focus just right, you look like a girl," Naruto informed.

But I'm not," Sasuke warned, discomfort building in his throat. "And if you start pretending I am or some bullshit like that, I won't forgive you. That's not fair to anybody."

"I never said I was gonna!" With a scowl, Naruto punched him on the shoulder- not hard, but not gently either. "I was just saying. Besides, I know you're not a girl, I'm not stupid. You're just Sasuke."

"I'm not going to fucking argue that," Sasuke muttered, still eyeing him with some measure of uneasiness. His heart skipped painful beats in his throat. Every sense he had honed in years of training told him there was something not the same here, something different in Naruto's eyes, something he couldn't identify and yet seemed perfectly in place there, like it'd been there all along and he was just now noticing.

"And Sasuke is my friend… my best friend… right?" Naruto scooted across the bed a little, mussing the sheets beneath them, to look at him more closely. "And Sasuke won't leave me, ever, even if I make him mad?"

"If that wasn't true, Sasuke _wouldn't_ have let you take him back…stupid." Now, looking at Naruto...it was impossible to breathe. A subtle blunt pain was building in his chest, blossoming beneath his breastbone. He couldn't break Naruto's gaze, couldn't look away from those eyes that were so much those of a child's, yet, just as much a man's. There was power, hidden fiercness hidden beneath his skin, leaving Sasuke speachless and powerless as Naruto inched closer. Not Kyuubi, no, but something different and...safer. Warmer. It was Naruto… and that left him breathless.

"When sasuke left me, I thought I was going to die." He could feel the gentle whisper of his breath now, hot on his cheek. He was dying; Naruto had backed him into the wall, and there was nowhere else to go. Why was he so close? What was he doing?

"…I'm not going anywhere _ever _again." The reassurance was mindless, all of Sasuke's mental faculties being currently focused on the issue of Naruto's face shoved right into his, Naruto's hands on either side of his slim hips, Naruto's body leaning over his, Naruto's knee braced between his legs for balance. Physical closeness was never something that had made him comfortable, and it certainly wasn't any better when it was an object of some very strong feelings that was mindlessly invading his personal space.

"Promise?" Their noses were bumping.

"…Yeah…"

Sasuke's eyes fluttered closed of their own accord when Naruto's lips fell on his, blissfull contentment spreading swiftly through his chest. There was something lovely and soft about it, the feel of his the blonde's dry, boyishly chapped mouth pressed agains his own, the short puff of breath from his nose as he exhaled against his cheek.

It took more than a few moments for the shock to register, and by that time, Naruto had already pulled back. Sasuke stared dumbly into his eyes, heart pumping painfully, breath coming with more and more difficulty.

"…Why the hell did you do that?" Sasuke managed to whisper after a minute or so, hopelessly confused. Naruto had just…

"What? You said you liked me, didn't you?" Naruto cocked his head, scowling slightly, like it was totally normal. "That's what you said…"

"Yes, it is what I said, and I do, but- but-" He was turning red now. "Dammit, Naruto! Don't just-just go and do things like that! It's not like you want to, so-"

"Excuse me?" There was enough of a bite to Naruto's tone to startle him, a flare in those bright eyes. "I did it, didn't I? Why would I do something if I didn't want to?"

Sasuke could feel himself gaping in utter bafflement, staring blankly into the scowling face. Of course Naruto wouldn't do anything he didn't want to, he had always been that way. But… it didn't fit. Naruto wasn't like him. Naruto was one of the straightest guys he had ever known. Naruto liked girls, and that was the bottom line. So he had no place kissing Sasuke. None at all.

So it didn't surprise him that when he articulated that firm view that Naruto nodded in agreement, shifting to rest on one bent elbow. "Yeah, I know," he said soberly. "But… I dunno. Shut up."

"Wha- mmph!" The protest was smothered in the sudden graps Naruto's lips caught his own in, four curious fingers gripping his chin. Sasuke tried to struggle possessed by a cornered animal's desperation, heart in his chest as though it were trying to break free. It wasn't supposed to happen this way- it wasn't supposed to happen at _all_. Naruto's slow, deep kisses, a hand on his shoulder for balance as teeth closed lightly on his bottom lip, making him shiver involentarily. It _wasn't_ supposed to happen.

"Naruto…-" Sasuke was smothered by another kiss, flung backwards. He steadied himself with his arms stretched behind him painfully, letting the blonde lean over him. For the first time in Naruto's usually safe and calm presence, Sasuke was terrified. His heart slammed against his ribcage and sweat trickled off his skin, insipid and ruddy both at once. And Naruto was fighting with himself and Sasuke and the entire world, trying passionately to change them.

Sasuke had to stop this. Naruto was straight, he'd agreed to that only a few minutes ago. Whether he was doing this just to pass the time, or to get valuable blackmail information later, or worse, just to make him happy, it wasn't _fair_. It obviously wasn't fair to Naruto, but it was even unfair to Sasuke. No matter how much the a hormonal teenager in him protested, he needed ...something more than this.

But he'd be damned if it wasn't hard to pull away from something that felt so good.

"Naruto- Naruto, please, stop!" He managed to squirm far enough so his spine was pressed against the headboard, to put some minimal space between them, more than aware of the flush on his cheeks and the heaviness of his breathing. "You know this isn't fair, dammit!" Sasuke's lungs chest ached as he drew in a sharp breath, aching to fill his lungs with the oxygen Naruto had effectively knocked out of him.

"What's wrong with you?" Naruto's eyes flashed, jaw set hard, the hand on the back of Sasuke's neck tightening its grip. "First you say you _like me_ and of course you get all pissy about that, then I try to be nice about it and you get all pissy again! What the hell do you want, Sasuke?"

"Don't you dare trivialize this!" he snapped back, feeling his shoulders draw up in a self-protective tension. "The last thing someone wants when they admit vulnerable and irrational feelings is for the other person to shrug their shoulders, say 'I have no actual attraction to you, but you're here, you're easy, and I'm bored, so let's screw!' Unless you can explain this some other way, the next time you so much as touch me I'll break both your goddamn arms!"

Utter silence followed his words, save the echoes of his harsh breathing. He hurt somewhere deep inside, but remained resolute to his words; no matter how much of a wimpy little femme-boy it made him feel like to say it, he wanted something more. He needed something more. Everything had always been a means to an end, and he couldn't take that anymore.

"Sasuke…" Naruto's voice was gentle, his eyes glazed over, unreadable.

"…What?" The angry bitterness would impossible to hold back if he had bothered to try.

"You're such a fag."

There must have been a horrified expression on his face because Naruto burst into helpless chortles, his entire body quivering with mirth. Rage impotently choked him; _here_ it was, _here_ was the laughter. Always a fucking joke to Naruto.

"I swear!" He wiped the budding tears of laughter from his eyes. "You jump right to all the worst things, always! I mean, honestly, bitch bitch bitch! Who in their right mind would decide to screw somebody just 'cause they were bored? What are you thinking?"

"It's not unheard of," he pointed out, seething.

"I know that, but in real life, really...would you jump Sakura if you two were out of books to read? Of course not! You're queer, she's a girl, and you don't like her at all! Sure she practically worships you, but where's your benefit? You probably wouldn't even, you know, get off or whatever." Everything Naruto was saying not only made sense, it came out merrily, as a relief. Something fluttered in Sasuke's throat.

"So...what are you saying, exactly? You just said practically five minutes ago that you were straight. I know for a fact that you like girls. So… forgive a faggot and his stupidity."

"Sure, I like girls. Like 'em a lot!" Naruto's grin didn't waver, but something uncertain glittered in his eyes. "But… fuck it, who knows, maybe I'm bi, right? That exists!"

Sasuke stared dumbly, his stomach doing gleeful back flips in his throat.

"But you don't like me, Naruto," He informed, more hesitant that he would have liked to be. "Don't be an idiot."

"Who says I don't?" Naruto quipped. After a moment, something in his eyes sobered- maybe seeing the fear and uncertain hope in Sasuke's eyes, maybe sensing the rapid gallop of his heartbeat. "I…" His voice softened, falling into a more serious timber. "I dunno about the whole gay thing… who knows, really, but… you're like family… not in some weird incest way, but just, I… I just love you, y'know…?"

"Naruto…" It was more of a breath than a word, sighing almost imperceptibly past his lips as Sasuke found himself relenting against his will. "Are… are you sure…?"

"Wouldn't 'a said it if I wasn't." Naruto's voice was firm leaving no room for doubt. Sasuke almost wanted to smile, but his jaw was too weak to fallow through. In some attempt to compensate, Sasuke opened his arms invintingly. Naruto understood right away and latched onto him in a tight embrace with a dazzling smile.

They were still for a long while, Sasuke catching his breath against Naruto's shoulder, eyes drifting closed in an stead calm. It felt nice, to just hold on like this, to be held like this… Maybe it was something he would never be fully comfortable with, but it could be nice, now and then, just… being close, feeling Naruto's heart beating against him steadily. When the next awkward kiss found his lips in the dark, he couldn't find it in him to resist. When the hands went from his chin to burrying deep in his hair, he didn't fight it. If Naruto loved him, it was okay. It was all going to be okay.

Because he loved him too.

It seemed an eternity until their lips parted, the slick tip of Naruto's tongue tickling his lip impishly before retreating. It was impossible to keep his gaze, impossible to meet the sparkling blue eyes, when he knew he was flushed with pleasure, his cheeks stained red and eyelids heavy. There was only so much imagination could prepare someone for, and to feel him so close, and so warm…like his heart was melting and sticking to his insides like wandering idly over the bare skin of his neck, intermittent tingles darting along his spine whenever the flesh was sensitive enough… it was infinitely more than he could ever have prepared for.

"You okay…?" Naruto was nuzzling his nose, his cheek. "You… look kind of funny."

"I'm okay," Sasuke breathed, taking some comfort in noticing that Naruto's lungs seemed as starved as his own. "I'm fine… come on, don't stop, huh…?" Once the burning in his chest died, once he'd caught his breath enough to stop the room from spinning, he was kissing Naruto insatiably, fingers entwining in the wiry mane of hair at the nape of his neck.

Sasuke's matress creaked like floorboards beneath their weight. Naruto's knee found purchase sliding between the raven haired boy's legs, and he groaned, whimpered, sighed with pleasure. It was too much, it was too soon, and yet...he had so desperately dreaded and longed for the pressure on his groin. As Naruto changed positions again, kissing him deeper and stealing the life from his lungs, he became less and less aware of everything around him.

The hazy state of disbelief was impossible to break, smothering him even as he tightened his arms around Naruto's shoulders, clinging to him with a neediness and passion he feared to understand. Was it right? Was it right for him, Uchiha Sasuke, to get so deeply involved with someone else when he could barely stand his own company most of the time?

"You're thinking again." A sharp stab of pain altered him to the fact that Naruto's teeth had punctured his lower lip, no doubt as some form of punishment for the neglect, but passion dulled the pain. "Aren't I distracting enough, dammit?"

Sasuke mumbled his name stupidly, hoping there was at least a hint of an apology in his tone. What was it, about the aggressive glint in his expression, that sent his stomach into back flips? It wasn't that it was unlike Naruto, after all, he remembered those same eyes from their childhood, the brash assertions of his strength, his superiority, even when it meant nothing. Had it affected him like this then? Or had he simply been too much of a child?

Had four years really changed so much?

Four years ago, the sensation of Naruto's rough fingertips sliding under his shirt to trace his ribs wouldn't have sent chills along his spine, it wouldn't have made him gasp and arch his back like a cat being stroked. It had to be the time that had elapsed between them, the countless trials they had undergone side by side and against each other. What else made a person love someone else with such illogical fervor, such ardency that seemed to surpass what they both knew to be righteous rationale? There was no other explination for here Uchiha Sasuke was, locked in the arms of a boy he once greatly despised,someone he would have sacrificed anything to be rid of.

He was even doubting that those ideas had ever been real.

His flimsy nightshirt was now bunched up enough to expose his ribcage and toned stomach to the cool air of the room, as well as the touch of Naruto's kunai-calloused hands. This was almost more than he could endure, just the simple surrender to the awkward, unlearned petting and teasing while his own hands were tangled in the wiry blond hair, unwilling to end the clumsy clasp of their mouths. The explosions of breath were growing faster and hotter, both equally desperate for air and the newfound feel of each other.

Sasuke was only vaugly aware of the little pleas that flew past his lips between fevered kisses, the sounds themselves incoherent but nevertheless obvious in their urgency. It was impossible to form cohesive thought anymore, his entire body heavy and yet painfully alive with desire. His hands shook, fingertips digging into Naruto's bare shoulders, palms tensing a little more with every passing moment, every deep, wet taste of the other boy's mouth.

"Arms up," Naruto ordered, voice roughened with lack of breath and a fierce passion that wreaked havoc with his insides. His hands tugged at the thin fabric of Sasuke's nightshirt, rumpling it up to his chest impatiently as he tried to arrange his arms to Naruto's liking. The sound of tearing fabric was barely audible over his uneven panting, Naruto's impatience leading him to merely rip off the nightshirt and toss it aside without caring for the sleeve that was now dangling by a few threads.

"You ripped my shirt," Sasuke protested, arms still flung over his head, thin chest rising and falling with each fitful breath. "That was my only shirt to sleep in- I didn't bring-"

"So?" Naruto scowled briefly before descending to the exposed flesh of his neck, sucking lightly at the skin over his jugular. The undoubtedly venomous response Sasuke was brewing was quickly swallowed by a sharp gasp, the strangely electric shock arching his spine, smashing his aching pelvis into Naruto's, bare toes curling together against the thin sheets. The obvious sensitivity wasn't lost on Naruto, his lips quirking with something of a grin as Sasuke squirmed under the teasing flicks of his tongue.

It was a feeling of vulnerability he had never quite experienced before, a feeling that every inch of him was open; his flesh yielding to the uncertain touch, fingers curling into the thin fabric of Naruto's shirt as he surrendered to the rough, vivacious kisses. It was so strange; Uchiha Sasuke in confused submission to the very person he'd been struggling to dominate for years. Something that should humiliate him, insult him, but somehow, letting someone touch him like this…letting Naruto touch him like this… It was frightening and new, but he wasn't sure he wanted to let go of it just yet.

Or ever.

His hands had managed to work themselves under Naruto's nightshirt, finding a firm hold on his broad, smooth shoulders with both his palms. The trained muscles rippled with motion under his touch, the arms that connected latching tight around Sasuke's waist. With the effort vocalized in an impatient grunt, the other boy lifted him from where he'd lain prone on the mattress into a crushing, awkward hug. It was as if even the few inches of space between them had been too much of a barrier. They could always be closer.

Sasuke let his slender fingers roam over the line of muscle, even while his palms pressed hard to keep from falling back. What nails he had raked over Naruto's shoulder blades in a steady- if hurried- rhythm, knuckles pushing the thin shirt up in waves. In some moment he couldn't pinpoint, their lips had found each other again, blending with a kiss so hard and fierce it hurt. He could feel Naruto's jaw against his, his own teeth cutting into his lower lip. It was hard and painful, but the adrenaline that pulsed into him with each twinge of discomfort only spurred him in his frenetic exploration of his mouth, his tongue, his lips.

Ripples of heat danced along his spine, each agonizing glance of enjoyment swirling together into a throbbing ache that was impossible to ignore. 'Too much', 'not enough', he felt himself whimper against Naruto's mouth, fingers digging roughly into his back. Every move echoed through his frame, every push of Naruto's knee and slight rock of his hips, it killed him a little more every time, something scorching inside him.

With the next slight push of Naruto's legs, his hips surged back in an almost involuntary response. The pressure was too much; the drag of the cloth over his thighs, Naruto's weight on him, the remaining heat of his avid kisses over his neck and chest… Sasuke found his forehead buried in the nape of Naruto's neck, jaw hanging as he gasped for air. Sweat was beading on every expanse of his skin, aching arousal straining against the crotch of his shorts.

He would have been mortified if he couldn't feel Naruto in the same state… but the slickness beneath his fingertips, the harshness of his breathing against Sasuke's ear, the throbbing heat pressing into the inside of his thigh…

"Sasuke…." The plaintive sound was muffled by his hair; Naruto's impatient driving against him growing rougher with each pound of his heart in his throat… Somehow, the other boy had found that same frantic rhythm, and rocked into him hard with every pulse, their legs tangling together. The tight muscles of his inner thigh clung to Naruto's knee, the friction from the motion and his thin shorts burning over a hipbone.

It felt too damn good.

Each breath had claimed sound, wrenching whimpers from his lips. His head fell back to the thin pillows Naruto had stolen from him what seemed like an eternity ago, eyes tightly shut, matching him thrust for thrust even as his legs threatened to give out. He could feel the familiar curling, twisting sensation that begged for release. He should pull away, stop this now, before he embarrassed himself even more, but he couldn't, it didn't seem humanly possible.

And in that moment, it was over, the delicious explosion raking his body even as he stilled. With a sigh his head falling lifelesly back onto the thin pillows Naruto had stolen from him, what seemed an eternity ago. Sasuke's eyes squeezed shut tightly, drowning in the short burst of sensation, clinging to each last strand as it melted away into pure ecstacy. In the haze and distance he felt the larger body above him shudder and still, falling on top of him in a clumsy fashion with a deep, satisfied sigh.

Kami, it would have been so easy to scold himself, right then and there, for the idiocy of their endeavor. To get up out of bed and storm out, forget any of this ever happened and go live the rest of his life free from the tangle of limbs and emotions that made it impossible to think straight.

But then again... it was simpler to find Naruto's hand with his own, to echo his earlier smile as he answered the blonde's squeeze with another. His muscles felt like gelatin, so his fingers trembled with the effort, so when Naruto snorted against his chest he couldn't help but scowl and slit his eyes. "Shut up," he whispered roughly, jostling his wrist with what strength he had left in him.

"That was…weak, man." No matter how drained Uzumaki Naruto was, he had enough energy to tease.

"Well… you make me weak, I guess…"  
The words just spilled out of his mouth, and he would have stopped them if that had been possible.

"Liking people doesn't make you weak, I don't think… just strong in a different way." Naruto squeezed his hand again, this time with less force, but somehow more certainty. "You know?"

Sasuke's answer fluttered around in his head and chest for what seemed like an eternity until he finally mustered what he had been meaning to say, even though it had little relevance to the question. "Naruto, I love you."

Silence engulfed them. In that instant he panicked as his words hung in the air thickly…hadn't Naruto been the first person to say it? Didn't that mean it was okay? No, he shouldn't have been so reckless, and he felt himself break a sweat, aching to take it back. "…N-Naruto?"

When he was answered by a barely coherent mumble of his name and a loud snoring he felt like bursting into tears, or laughter, but he would have startled the blonde. And he looked so cute sleeping. He felt like if he held on tightly as his eyelids fluttered closed, gripping the hair on the back of Naruto's neck and sighing into his shoulder, there was a chance he could fall asleep like this. If he held on, just like this maybe, he would be lucky enough to wake up like this.

Dreaming.

* * *

It was Sasuke who at breakfast didn't kiss Naruto good morning the next day, who crawled out of bed like he was guilty of something, slipping on his clothing, leaf forehead protector and chunin vest before scampering off to the training grounds at six in the morning. Sasuke who refused to hold his hand while they were out in public the next day, or even stay in a hug long enough for it to turn into kiss. Sasuke who was embarrassed, afraid and all at once so head over heels he couldn't see straight. In fear of losing a limb, Naruto left him alone.

'Are we boyfriends now, or what?' Sasuke muttered into his dinner, red in the face, breaking the silence between them at the table.

'No we're less than that, more than friends…but something special. You know?"

"Like what?"

"Like star-crossed lovers?"

Sasuke chuckled slightly, and touched hands with him under the table.

Kakashi-sensei had an idea of the budding romance; there was less fighting over the next week and more of that stupid look he loved seeing on Sasuke's face; a smile, and a more often, a blush-ridden scowl. The raven haired boy would pick up Naruto's clothes, scrub the floor, grumbling as he washed dishes and turned out all the lights after everyone fell asleep…but he didn't seem to mind.

"You should wear a French-maid's outfit the next time you do that." Sasuke swatted Naruto with his feather duster and finished cleaning the living room, frowning and muttering to himself, but it was playful rather than deadly. Kakashi was at least so wonderfully grateful for that and the lack crossfire he no longer seemed to find himself in.

He and Sasuke were watching television one day, making sardonic comments and yawning, while Kakashi was out. Sasuke had allowed Naruto to ghost his hands, to tuck hair behind his ears, but the new touch was petrifying. So when the blond suddenly put both hands on his shoulders and leaped on top of him, pressing him painfully into the couch cushions, Sasuke resisted the urge to scream or slap him, push him off but he stopped. Naruto was hugging him so tightly and so deeply, _listening_ to his heart.

"Mm, teme." The red in his face was so unbearable Sasuke could barely muster a response.

"…What?"

"I just love you so much."

Naruto listened to his heartbeat reign rapid fire on his chest and grinned so wide Sasuke could feel it.

"Dobe?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

Naruto kissed him blissfully, and all was well.

* * *

**Review, and check out my other story that's ongoing,**

**Roses are Red! Much more dramatic and fast paced, but the quality isn't as sweet. **

**JUST WAIT. THIS IS GOING TO GET REALLY GOOD.**

**much love,**

**-gracie**


	3. Is it better to have loved and lost?

**Gah, sorry it took so long guys. The next chapter of RRR should be up soon though! As well as a new story that's not half as dramatic as this called 'Crush'. It's a multi-chapter (because I can't oneshot I get too into it xD) **

**School-setting story. Reallllllly stupid, but cute and funny. So keep your eyes pealed for it :)**

**PLEASE REVIEW this story.**

I WORK HARD! 3 AND ILL REVIEW ONE OF YOUR'S IN EXCHANGE!

**Plus you'll love it and stuff. **

**-Gracie :)**

* * *

Tsunade sighed. She had just escorted Sasuke Uchiha out the secret door in the floorboards underneath her feet and after that meeting, the exact one she and all the council men had dreaded for months, she needed a drink.

Make it ten.

"_The elders have decided it." She tried to keep her voice from breaking. "You killed Danzo; you attempted to kill Sakura, Kakashi, and Karin. You may have saved Konoha from Madara but it was only after we saved you from him. For that, the counsel has determined-" She heard Sasuke's breath hitch. "…that you've earned the black sentence. Isolation_ _in maximum security prison. Fifteen years. Until a new Hokage says otherwise or the circumstances change."_

_Sasuke quivered. The tears snaking down his reddened face were so heart wrenching, Tsunade had to screw up her nose and clutch her fist in order to disperse the lump in her throat. Itachi had been in her office earlier, practically losing all dignity he had begging on his knees for Sasuke's forgiveness. _

_Itachi Uchiha had died for Konoha, and amazingly enough had gotten his life back; only to lose his purpose for living. Turning him down was nearly impossible but what could she do?_

_It was beyond her control._

"_Itachi, however, lives a free man because of his ultimate sacrifice eight years ago and with his freedom Konohagakure can finally repay him."_

_Sasuke swallowed._

"_What about Naruto?"_

_Eyes fixed on the floor, she took a heavy breath. _

"_I am the Hokage. I cannot forgive you…however…the 7__th__ Hokage can. Until then, Sasuke..." She touched his hand as he signed the papers on her desk, holding it there, in place, until he wrenched away and fell like a shadow through the floor. "It's just beyond me."_

Tsunade wiped the budding tears from her eyes and shook her head. Kami, she was dreading this. "You two can come in now."

Naruto Uzumaki…there he was, surely enough; breaking the rules with such beautiful benign hope that he couldn't be punished. Naruto stood outside the door, he was ordered to stay away from, pressed up against it, his first two fingers linked with Sakura's, sweat beading on his temple, as they trembled uncontrollably together.

_Please._ He had been methodically chanting to himself. _Please._

The second he had heard the slightest note of Tsunade's voice, he burst through the door, breaking it into a thousand pieces. Sakura sheltered herself in her arms from the impact, but both had eyes locked on their Hokage, who's grim expression plunged their hearts through the floor.

"Don't say it Baa-chan!" Naruto growled eyes flickering red. "Please don't!" Sakura wearily grasped his arm. She had always had suspicion about Naruto and Sasuke's relationship, and she had been shocked into conformation when she walked in on Naruto making ramen and Sasuke kissing his neck from behind. It had been so…so _adorable_ and pure, the shock had taken a moment to register; Sasuke on his tip-toes in his jonin uniform smiling into the blonde's skin as he stirred a bubbling pot and ranted about his day gleefully.

Regardless of being turned down by both of them (she still insists that she turned _them _down or that the feeling was mutual) and surprised by their love, they were her best friends. Family.

…A part of her, and there was no way that Tsunade, someone she considered to be her _mother_, would rip her to pieces like that. Because if there was no more Sasuke, there was no more Naruto. And thusly, Sakura ceased to exist as well. And she had just gotten used to coming home, finishing paper work and training with them, getting Ichiraku like they used to. Laughing. Having _fun_.

But now…she couldn't help crying now. Silently shedding tears and ruining her makeup, staining her silk kimono. Angrily. At Tsunade, even Sasuke. Just looking at Naruto's face, more warped with hate than it had ever been in those long miserable years…he deserved to be happy.

"Naruto, there was nothing I could do, it was the council's decision I-"

"Nothing you could do? You're the Hokage! You could save him if you really want to!"

"…Naruto…" Her voice was quaking. "I'm going to fight this."  
"I've fought this as long as I fucking can!" His tears were shameless. "I can't do it anymore!"

"I'm so sorry…"

"Sorry isn't good enough!"

"Naru-chan!" Sakura shrieked, hanging off his shoulder. "You shouldn't be arguing with Lady Tsunade, you should be spending your time with Sasuke!"

The blonde's face froze. She was so right it hurt. "H-how long does he have?"

"Three days for it to be finalized." Tsunade mumbled, defeated.

And Naruto was out the door.

Sakura trembled, frozen. Tsunade shuffled past her with a tight face and a dark aura, grabbing a fistful of money from the little box on her desk. She whispered, "I'm sorry," to the doorframe, pressing her forehead against it, and disappeared. When Sakura ripped her eyes from the floor and stumbled out of the office, Itachi was waiting there, misted in a cloud of smoke.

In fact she had almost stepped on him, for he was sitting on the ground like he had slipped to the floor.

"Itachi-san?" She grumbled through her tears. "What are you doing here?" The smoke. It was coming from a cigarette he was sucking on. "And you're…smoking?"

Slightly embarrassed, he dismissed the obvious smoking comment. "I was doing the same thing you were, only quieter." His voice was monotone and his black eyes showed nothing Sakura could read. Itachi had no sharingan anymore, not since Sasuke had taken the eyes from his corpse and used them for an eternal Mangekyou. When Kabuto had reanimated and reformed his body, they were not replaced. He was still a powerful ninja, however, and found a place in the anbu in Konoha once the war was over, being heavily praised and admired for his sacrifice, the true fate of his family finally released to the public.

And he visited Sasuke, every day to poke him in the forehead and make sure he was eating. To undress and redress his wounds, to sit by his beside and talk with him when the nightmares kept him awake. To tease him. To take him out to train to make up for every time he had turned him down in their childhood. He lit another cigarette and blew away the ashes on the floor.

"I don't know what to do, Itachi-san." She slid down onto the floor next to him and took a cig out of his carton. He lit it and they sat there, absorbed in smoke. Her heartbeat quelled and she listened to Itachi's heavy breathing for a few moments.

"I'm going to keep fighting this Sakura, don't you worry about it. While I handle it there's nothing you can do but be with him for… these final days."

She began to collect her things, but Itachi stopped her.

"He's with Naruto now. Later tonight."

She nodded, and suddenly, burst into tears. Final days? It was just so sick and so cruel…

"I'm sorry I'm crying Itachi-san…but you would know better than anybody how unfair this is!"

"Sakura-san, did I ever tell you that you remind us of our mother?"

She stopped and sniffed. Wisps of Itachi's hair were clinging to the wet trails on his face, glistening in the smoldering light. Naturally, only Uchiha Itachi could find a way to cry gracefully and discreetly.

"No, but that's very kind. I heard she was a wonderful woman." Sakura found it strange that she was discussing this with the man who killed her, but trundled on past it all the same. "Thank you."

"You know if I could go back and prevent her death, I would in a heartbeat." He took a long drag. "So I'm going to fix this." Getting up in an instant, Itachi flashed her a sweet smile. She had never seen him smile like this before; she was still so unused to the idea of him smiling at all. Never the less, it was enchanting. "I have to. You see, not just for Sasuke and me, or you and Naruto, but for Mikoto and Fugaku."

With that he stood up and walked down the hallway casually, and so sure of himself Sakura had no choice but to believe him.

* * *

When Naruto stumbled into his apartment (Sasuke and _Kakashi's_ apartment, although there was no time to be technical) there was no trace of Sasuke. Naruto knew where he was after throwing over the hamper and tearing through the closet and realizing that Sasuke's sandals and jacket were missing. Out in the crisp November air he found the raven-haired boy, looking small, perched on the ledge of the fire escape, the mere sight of him welling tears in the blonde's eyes. He forced them away and grabbed Sasuke off the balcony.

"You idiot!" Naruto pulled him into a crushing hug. "I was worried sick, teme. You should have found me and I would have talked to Tsunade with you, and I-" He was quieted instantly by a squeeze in their hug; then Sasuke found his hand and was held it to his chest.

"Do you feel my heart, dobe? Because I'm pretty sure I died back there." He snorted.

Naruto beamed and pressed his hand into the brunette's collarbone affectionately. "Yes teme, you're alive."

"That's kind of a relief I guess. Not that it does me any good."

"Sasuke…"

"Don't get all sentimental on me. I mean…we have these three days, right? And then I'll…see you in fifteen years I guess. I don't know."

"Shut up! Don't say it like it like that." Naruto glared and pulled away, if only by a few inches, breathing heavily and flushed with tears. "I'll get you out of this. I'm going to be Hokage, and I'll work on Baa-chan. Itachi and me both, and Sakura and Kakashi-chan…we won't let this happen. I mean me and you, we just started to…"

"Yeah. I know."

"I finally got you back, goddammit. We finally found something that works for us. It's not fair it's just not fair, I want to spend the rest of my goddamn life with you!"

"It's too easy to say that when you're 17." Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "You'll find someone else. Don't pretend like you won't, Naruto. Some girl…or boy or whatever. This whole thing's been wrong from the beginning. I don't think you're meant to be gay and…I'm not…I'm not meant to be happy."

"Sasuke." The blonde snarled. "I'm going to make you a promise just like the last time. I'll bring you home and I'll bring you to me. And I'm not going to find someone else, are you fucking stupid? I want _you_. I want to go on missions with you, hell; I want to fight with you. I want to watch the stars with you; I want to get stronger with_ you_. I want to make you breakfast every morning…I wanna _sleep with you_!" Sasuke blushed furiously and looked away.

"I don't…I don't know what to tell you."

"Just don't give up and I'll keep working on it as long as it takes."

They heard the sound of Kakashi returning home, probably with nothing to say but awkward condolences and an evening of brooding over the verdict in his room.

"If I'm not dead now, I'll die in there, Naruto." He muttered, straight-faced, accepting a kiss with stiff lips. In a matter of seconds, he tasted salt.

"Me too." Naruto muttered. He picked up Sasuke, who was significantly smaller built, and placed him on his lap, deepening their kiss. Sasuke's mouth fell open, just as Naruto pulled gently away from the warmth of the touch, locking eyes. "I love you. Like I said, gay, best friends, it doesn't matter. I love you so much, and I need you to know that'll never change. You know that right?" Sasuke fell limp in his arms. The silence was deafening and thick before his response.

"Yes…" He finally choked. "…but that only makes it worse."

* * *

When Itachi knocked on Kakashi's door at six in the morning, the silver-haired jonin was wide awake; pouring through books like it was going out of style. The knock shook him out of his daze like a bucket of cold water, and he jolted up, smoothed himself out and opened it to find Itachi, reeking of smoke, black eyes warm.

"…well hello, Itachi-kun." Kakashi muttered, slightly perturbed. He scratched his head and motioned Itachi in, who had several handfuls of scrolls, appearing equally as exhausted. "What brings you here?"

Itachi situated himself on the edge of Kakashi's bed and with nothing more than a raised eyebrow, Kakashi joined him. "I have a solution to Sasuke's sentencing." Classic Itachi, treating every tragedy like a problem he could solve. Sometimes Kakashi got the feeling that he could, the boy was undeniably remarkable and it was impossible to not be fond of him, to find yourself eluded of his modest charm. It was impressive…it was _cute_.

"Do tell. Because I've been looking for loopholes all night and I'm drawing a blank."

"I don't know if this is a loophole, but I'm looking to keep him out of prison. That's goal number one, and we need to accomplish it before going after anything else."

"You think you can keep him out of prison?"  
"I would need your help, Kakashi-kun…and your…moral support. But I could do it. I really think I could." Itachi murmured, flipping through to the marked page of an old book of ninjutsu the size of his head. The pages puffed dust at him that he daintily fanned away with his hand.

"Well, we'll see. Explain your idea to me, Itachi-san." Ruffling his anbu-partner's hair, he stood up and stretched like a lazy tom-cat with a wry smile etched out under his mask. "I'll go make us some tea."

* * *

**Naruto's BISEXUAL. I think that's fitting, don't you? So Sasuke's (who's absolutely without a doubt 100% gay) constantly questioning Naruto's feelingssss.**

**Insecure bastard.**

**ANYWAY, some KakaIta action? ;D Maybeee! 3**

**SUGGESTIONS?**

**And don't forget to review, those of you who favourite. It's appriciated and stuff but show me some written love!  
RRR- Up tomorrow.**

**This- Updated before Friday.**

**CRUSH- The new story? Hopefully published tomorrow.**

**Ja ne!**


	4. A True Act of Selflessness

**SO GUYS.**

**SHOULD I PUT KAKASHI AND ITACHI TOGETHER? That's really too cute for me to stand ;D**

**And what about Sakura/Gaara/Neji? What the hell am I going to do with them? xD**

**Oh God. Tomorrow's friday and it's 12:12 AM. I'm always so busy on the weekends. Friends, parties... and Fanfiction's like a secret hobby ;D More like secret obsession. I'm one of those assholes who reads the managa and anime whenever I can so things like this are on my mind way too much xD**

**ANYWAY, I started a new school this year. UGH. It's miserable. Everyone's way too preppy and stuck up I can't stand it. I just doodle the Akatsuki in my planner and day dream about new chapters to these goddamn things .**

**SO yeah. REVIEW. It makes my day ;D **

* * *

Light filtered through the window and fell onto the floorboards like tepid spilled milk when Itachi awoke the next morning. God, it was warm. The sharp November air didn't snake into the cracks in the flimsy window glass and thick wool blankets up to his shoulders made leaving the bed physically painful. Tucking thin strands of raven hair behind his ears and he noticed the shuriken patterned sheets that had kept him so blissful in his sleep. _Kakashi-kun. That's right…_He had come over at five in the morning and poured over books with Kakashi, only to slip into unconsciousness the moment the silver-haired jonin stepped out of the room for tea. Kakashi had come back, tucked him in and no doubt was out working through the plan he and Itachi had worked on for all of five minutes with Tsunade and the counsel. A little smile tugged at the corners of his thin mouth and he stole from the bed.

* * *

Outside the rest of the apartment was frigid. He hugged his arms around his slim shoulders and his pale skin flushed. Every step announced a crack in the floorboards so he tip-toed around in stealth to find no signs of life. Finally pulling back the curtains in the living room, he noticed it was far past noon and every-one else was sound asleep. Fantastic. Sometimes Itachi dearly wished that he could be as naturally carefree as everyone else. Sasuke had two and a half days before he was locked up and away unless he rounded everyone together and discussed his plan. Sighing heavily, he padded over to the kitchen.

Ramen. And grilled fish, and lots of rice. There was tea, too. Naruto's excellent sense of smell was the first sense that was awake that morning. Eyes came next. Blinking them open, he noticed he was on the couch, and wonderfully warm in front while his ears and nose suffered. About twenty degrees? Seemed right. Looking down, he broke into a toothy grin. Sasuke was curled up to his chest, sleeping so soundly Naruto didn't have the heart to wake him.

Placing a delicate kiss on the raven-haired boy's innocent looking face, he frowned. The years of torture had been brushed away, leaving a new Sasuke he barely recognized. This one looked…capable of happiness. Naruto knew when Sasuke awoke the troubles of the world would once again find themselves on his shoulders…sometimes he wished Sasuke-wished _they-_ could make a clean start.  
Soon enough his musings put him to sleep.

* * *

"Wakey-wakey Naruto-chan! It's time for lunch!"

"AH DON'T KILL ME YOU BASTARD!"

"NARUTO! What the fuck!"

Waking up with someone you'd been sworn enemies with, who you'd been fearing for twice as much time as you've been getting to know them as a friend was truly horrific. When Naruto saw Itachi Uchiha's face, Akatsuki and images of blood and gore filled his head. He sprung from the couch, had flung Sasuke and all the blankets onto the floor and poised himself for battle. It took a few moments to realize Sasuke had hit his head on the coffee table and was seething while Itachi stood dumbfounded in a pink 'kiss-the-cook' apron (Kakashi's no doubt) holding a tray, looking awfully maternal in oven mitts, and that the situation couldn't have been more benign.

He scratched the back of his head and smiled awkwardly; how embarrassing. "Great I'm starving!"

"Great, I'm bleeding."

"Oh hush Sasuke-chan, you're fine." Itachi helped him up and sympathetically glanced at Naruto. The verdict was hanging heavily behind cheap play on words half smiles and random acts of kindness. "Get to the table. I want you to eat before we head over to Tsunade's office."

"Why would we do that?" Sasuke muttered, scowling darkly.

"Because…Because, I think I've found a solution for all of this. Now go on, eat."

The front door opened. Everyone froze, ladles spoons knives and forks in hand.

"Honey I'm home!" Kakashi chuckled blandly, dropping his things on the couch and strutting into the kitchen to find Itachi in an apron serving the teens who were abusing their welcome. Blushing madly Itachi ripped off the apron and turned to the stove.

"Good after-noon Kakashi-kun. You must be exhausted. Have some lunch."

"Oh you cooked? Wonderful. Thank you Itachi-kun. That was very kind of you."

"No need, it was the least I could do after I stayed the night."

The two boys glanced at each other, making mortified faces and spitting out the Uchiha's cooking.

"It was my pleasure, you were all worn out."

"ENOUGH, ENOUGH." Sasuke growled. "No more speaking." The blonde cocked his head with childish confusion.

"Kakashi-sensei likes _boys_?" Kakashi froze.

"What are you talking about Naruto?"

Itachi considered shoving his head in the oven or stuffing an oven mitt down the blonde's throat.

"No, it's nothing like_ that_ Naruto-chan. Kakashi-kun and I were just going over ninjutsu scrolls and books, and we discussed how we're going to get Sasu-chan out of this mess."

"You should tell us already." Naruto helped himself to more ramen and avoided eye contact with Sasuke, who picked at a piece of fish. "I think we could help, you know if you guys need anything. I'll do whatever it takes." Kakashi sat down and looked both of the boys head on, fists clasped together on the table.

"Actually Naruto I think it's confirmed. Itachi came up with a brilliant solution. We can get Sasuke out of all his prison time, which is fifteen to thirty years in isolation..." Naruto shuddered, Itachi's shoulders stiffened, Sasuke remained blank. "…But the alternative may be a price you're not willing to pay."

"Just tell me!"

"I can't say anything yet, Naruto, don't get too excited now. We're going over to the Hokage's office in an hour to discuss everything. Just finish your food and get dressed."

* * *

In the shower, everything seemed to melt away, wash out of his hair. Naruto could only imagine what kind of plan Itachi and Kakashi had come up with. If it involved Sasuke chopping off a limb or serving in the army, if it involved community service and a slap on the wrist he wasn't sure. It could be really anything and that was the worst part, but knowing Tsunade and the counsel there was a large possibility that it would be closer to the first one.

They hadn't even had sex, he mused. Sasuke and he were still virgins and Naruto could only imagine staying that way for thirty years. He shuddered and turned off the water, toweling off his hair. If Sasuke was off the hook, they were _celebrating._

"I need a hairbrush I'm coming in!" As if on cue Sasuke barged through the door in a huff, trying not to blush or stare. "Cover up, dobe."

"You love it." He winked, and threw on boxers.

"God you're a moron."

"Again, you-"Sasuke had kissed him, and hard. The palms of his hands on were the sink behind him for support, back to the faucet, on his tip-toes to reach the taller blonde. Naruto grinned but there was a desperate craving in the kiss that tore at his heart. How many more moments like this would they have? He knew Sasuke was thinking it too, along with other things he couldn't hope to read. His tongue pushed clumsily into the other boy's mouth grazing his teeth.

"Nn…Naruto." Sasuke whispered. He perched himself on the sink as they continued to kiss, sitting on the counter, back pressed up against the medicine cabinet with his arms around the blonde's bare shoulders. It was awkward and confusing and the combination of losing his clothes the hard metal drain and tooth brushes where they shouldn't be befuddled his senses. And Naruto, holding him, pushing him up against the mirror, teething on his jugular, rough hands up his shirt. "I'm sorry." And his slim hands trailed down the blonde's waist.

Was it okay to lead him into this fantasy world unsuspecting? Let him think that this was going to happen on and on forever, that the mere touch, sight, smell of each other wasn't the most precious thing in the world? No. Naruto was hope and therefore naive. And naturally, when Sasuke couldn't be saved Naruto would be devastated, again, and like the last time it was all because Sasuke couldn't see straight, had been held captive by revenge. Was it because he was selfish and didn't put Naruto first?

No, that wasn't the source of this horrible guilt, he always thought of Naruto first. It was because he hadn't thought something like_ this_ would ever come about in a million years. It was because Sasuke didn't_ think_. He was reckless and juvenile so it was his fault. He hadn't cried, not for himself. Only for Naruto.

But god, he would miss this.

Sasuke's eyes were closed so the hot tears didn't register until Naruto kissed them off. Thank god he wasn't making a fool out of him and pointing it out.  
"Don't be sorry I wouldn't have it any other way."

And then, more tears. Because Naruto had a way of …just knowing things. He was telling him he wasn't a burden to Naruto like he had feared. He just as much of a gift as Naruto was to him. A vital life force. His reason for living. And Sasuke had never imagined in ten-thousand years that anyone could ever care so much about him. And no longer was it a responsibility, it was a blessing. Even if he never saw the blonde again he was still lucky. To have someone so wonderful love him. No matter what.

When they had finished with gauchely fooling around like classic teenagers in a fit of lust and love the emerged from the bathroom blushing and sniping at each other and adjusting their clothes, somehow managing to be fully clothed and ready to walk out the door.

"What were you two doing in there?" Kakashi teased. He had been standing outside, reading casually, waiting for his turn. Sasuke and Naruto wordlessly flailed around for an answer. "Never mind, I don't want to know."

"Kakashi it's not…like that!"

"Kids these days." Hatake smiled under his mask and shut the door in their faces.

* * *

By the time the two boys made their way down to central Konoha and into Tsunade's office they were practically sprinting. Naruto stumbled to her desk first.

"Baa-chan! You have news on Sasuke's case. The things you discussed with Kakashi and Itachi-kun? We're supposed to hear it out."

She looked up warily from her desk and motioned for the two boys to have a seat in front of her. "Yes of course. Sasuke sat down cautiously reddening when Naruto forcefully grabbed his hand.

"Where are Kakashi and Itachi anyway? I think they should be here."

"Probably…looking over books and scrolls and falling asleep all over each other." Naruto grinned, Sasuke scowled, and Tsunade chose to ignore the provocative comment and the fact that they were currently holding hands.

"Well never the less." She placed a map of techniques and an informational on her desk in front of them, looking Naruto deep in the eyes. "This is a jutsu we're considering. In short, it's a forbidden technique, but we're looking to make an exception."

"W-what does it do?" Naruto questioned. Sasuke remained stoic.

"It's a memory loss jutsu. There are three levels. We can assure with this that Sasuke is unable to use the powerful techniques that he used to slaughter people or anything but basic sharingan and ninjutsu techniques." In shock and horror, the boys watched her as she spoke. "But in doing this…he'd in essence forget everything. His village, his family, the tragedies he's faced and everyone he knows."

Sasuke seemed wide-eyed but remained still. Naruto shot up.  
"Forget it Baa-chan!" He snarled. "That's inhumanly cruel!"

"Would you rather not see him for thirty years, Naruto? Have him live in permanent isolation? And look, I know this is hard but it's the _only_ solution out of the dozens of one's presented that we've all agreed on. For the safety of Konoha-"

"You're talking about me like I'm not even here." Sasuke warned. "It's ultimately…my decision right?" Tsunade and Naruto stared up at him wordlessly and the Hokage nodded.

"We can all voice our own opinions." She side glanced at Naruto who was still simmering. "…Sasuke-kun, it's whatever you're most comfortable with. No one can make the call but you…"

"Then…I'd like to do it."

* * *

**AHHAHHAAHAHAHAHAH CLIFF HANGER. DUN DUN DUNNNN.**

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! :D! 3333333**

**Roses are Red update and my new story 'Crush' -set in a school enviroment, lots of lols- should be up tomorrow. And I'm currently drawing cover art for all of them too xDD**

**Till then! Love you all :)**

**-gracie**


	5. Faith

**I'm realling loving these reviews guys!**

**Keep it up. Next chapter's a biggie, the jutsu is preformed on Sasuke and lots of things go wrong, some kakaita and narusasu lemon as well.**  
**And prolly some sakulee/gaaneji :D**

**It's getting gooooooood.**

**ANYWAY you know how I always say, Roses are Red ch. 28 and my new story Crush (the one where Naruto and Sasuke are school boys xD) will be up the next day?**

**WELL I MEAN IT THIS TIME!**

**I PROMISE! Bwahahhahaa,**

**As always,**  
**Review!**

* * *

When Sakura heard the news she was shocked. It had arrived via carrier falcon straight from the Hokage's office into her bedroom window.

"Sasuke…"

Unraveling the note, her head spun in circles around the rest of her dazed and confused body. _Memory loss._ She had heard of this technique before; and it was a commonly known fact that it was hugely dangerous. Like Sasuke's sentencing, there was three levels. White, Red and Black. White meant he'd forget the past month, maybe year or two. Red was twice that. Black was five to ten years of darkness, vaguely forgetting who you are and almost everything but basic jutsu a chunin would be able to master with ease. She remembered the instant she learned about this, in her exam to become a jonin; when all the ninja read of forbidden techniques and trained themselves on how to combat them.

She had been shocked then, too. It sounded so harsh and more like long lasting torture than a quick procedure. There was an instance of a man forgetting his entire life; how to eat, how to walk, his own name. Reverted to infancy again…and the idea of the proud Uchiha in such a miserable condition was horrible. He'd rather be dead, she knew that. Hopefully it'd be the red sentence, forgetting the agony of living with Orochimaru and the slaughter of his clan…and he'd have the smile of the happy child in all of those pictures she had seen.

Sakura cursed her wishful thinking, whipping out her phone and cancelling her date with Lee. She had to meet with Naruto, _immediately._

* * *

Neji Hyuuga, who was told to bring a message to the Kazekage's tower three days from Konoha in the sand village, had begun to see the tip tops of the mountainous pillars of sand. The letter he was gripping was so important it couldn't be delivered by telegraph or phone; it contained all the information about Sasuke Uchiha's trial that Gaara had to be informed of. The red haired nin and Naruto were quite close and the whole of the village was awaiting the news on the rogue Uchiha who had saved Konohakure only to be his own worst enemy in the end.

What a _miserable_ situation. He had stopped by Sasuke's apartment not four days ago, the Uchiha and he had always been rivals and in the heat of danger, friends, so he felt it was only necessary. He expected Sasuke to be touchy and rude, that was only natural, but when he and Naruto were half clothed on Kakashi's living room sofa…well…that wasn't so natural but certainly_ somewhat_ expected. Neji smiled nefariously; Gaara and the whole of the sand would be intrigued by that bit of information too.

* * *

"…what do you mean you'll do it!" Naruto snarled; Sasuke wasn't serious, was he? Was he honestly going to throw away their relationship in a heartbeat just to keep his prissy Uchiha ass away from a cold prison cell? "That means you'll forget everything, don't you get it? You'll forget how to do Susano'o and every jutsu your brother gave to you, you'll forget how to walk home, what your favorite foods are, you'll forget…."

"I have to do it, Naruto. Don't be impractical; it makes so much more sense than anything…than wasting fifteen to thirty years of my fucking life in there. I'm too strong to forget the basics, and you know I'll always be the same goddamn Sasuke."

Tsunade watched mutely and swallowed.

"You're such a selfish jerk!" And with that, Naruto stormed out.

"I don't have to just think about him all the time, you know." Sasuke murmured to his sandals, clenching his fists, somewhat to Tsunade and somewhat to himself. "I have Itachi Kakashi Sakura and all of these people who won't be able to see me, for some intolerable reason, put in prison. I can relearn jutsu and I can be told about the memories I can't remember afterward…but I can't get thirty years back. I hate Naruto so_ much_…It's not all about him, all the time."

"The worst part is you're wrong."

Sasuke snapped his head up tautly with red eyes so foreboding they could've pierced Tsunade's skin, although she didn't even wince.

"What the hell are you talking about?"  
"That's all it's _ever_ been about. Getting away from Naruto's influence on you because he made you soft. Trying to kill him because he was the only person who understood you, better than yourself…Trying to get him to move back out of Kakashi's apartment because the only person you're comfortable to be close to…he makes you, _you, _Sasuke. And maybe he's the only one who sees it."

"You're looking too deeply into this." He spat.

"Really?" She casually pulled a file out of her desk, regaining her composure and continuing with her work. "You're choosing to do this because you're being selfless. You know that when your loved ones can see you, you're not really gone to them. You're still here and then they're okay to an extent. "

Sasuke's gaze did not relent."

"…Well what's wrong with that?"

"Sometimes it's a good thing to be a little selfish. That wasn't intended to change your mind, so by no means listen to me. But I hope you think about it."

"I don't have time to think." Sasuke snarled tetchily as he stormed out of her office. "Tomorrow morning, be ready, and make it quick."

Tsunade sighed and rubbed her temple; Sasuke Uchiha always insisted on carrying the weight of his world and everyone else's on his shoulders.

* * *

Their anbu mission had gone just terribly. Kakashi sighed and picked his pack of kunai off the ground; he attributed most of it to the fact that he and Itachi both had been horribly distracted by the exception in Sasuke's sentence. And more so disturbed by his tranquil response; both had lived with him; both loved him as a brother. And when he wasn't brooding he was so brash and irrational…was it wrong and paranoid and untrusting that they both thought it was strange he was so compliant? The biting air snapped Kakashi back to the gruesome scene of their latest mission. His teammates- They were _children_ compared to the Itachi and him, the only surviving members of the team. Twenty year old fresh recruits Kakashi couldn't even remember the names of- lay slaughtered on the ground, dismembered and blown to pieces entangled with the mangled corpses of their targets. Itachi looked up at him from a several tree branches down with black eyes- their blood was stale…and it was all over his _face._

Even in times of peace death seemed to surround them. Kakashi teleported down to meet face to face with his anbu partner; it was a shame that everyone in their new squad had perished, but he couldn't help feeling there was something he could have done. He side-glanced into Itachi's eyes, which were lidded heavily. There was a wound, for sure, and he was losing blood; but where? Kakashi scanned his little frame; it was leaking out from between his right ribs.

"Ita-kun, you should patch yourself up. That looks nasty."

"It was poisonous." Itachi mumbled breath quick with a tint of raucous struggle. The back of his head fell against the trunk of the tree with a thud and those heavily lidded eyes, the ones that watched Kakashi so carefully, witchingly, knowingly, blinked leisurely. "I dispelled the poison but it…it…hurts." The blood matting his hair and drying thickly on his white skin made his throat taste like iron and glass.

Kakashi smiled lightly, and then frowned.

"Would you like to file the paperwork today or tomorrow morning?"

"I'll do it tonight. Go home to Sasuke. I'll join you in the morning for his procedure."

"You're brilliant for coming up with that you know. Tsunade'll give him the Red sentence and then…he'll forget everything in the past five years; all we have to do is re-inform him and it's like he never left Konoha to begin with." Kakashi's eyes, warm and yellow thick like honey, stuck to him lazily. Itachi shifted uncomfortably, breath hitching in pain. Kakashi raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"I think it'll be good. For him. Even for Naruto."

Both of them turned away from each other awkwardly; they had known about Naruto and Sasuke's strange friendship turned fit of passion turned sniping and griping and pawing at each other every waking hour.

"As much as he might disagree at the moment."

"Mhm."

More silence. It was cold and dark and there were mission reports to be filed and paperwork to be competed.

"Can I kiss you Itachi?

Then, Itachi looked up.  
And nodded.

* * *

The coffee shop at the end of the main road in Konoha, a block from the academy and two from his home was closing. It was after all an hour or two past dark on a Sunday night, and there was one patron still nervously checking his phone. Blown off. He might as well have had it written all across his face.

If one was presumptuous they may have said the massive eye brows bowl cut and green spandex had something to do with it.

He seemed so _transfixed _with his cell phone. Staring at the blinking backlit text message this time as if no response could ever buffer the magnitude of his disappointment.

_"Lee." _It read. _"I know I'm blowing you off again, but I can't make it. News about the trial. Next time!_"

Lee sighed heavily and collected his things; he'd have to call Neji and find out how far he was from the sand, how Gaara was, and then Tenten so he'd have someone to train late into the night with. The chances of seeing a 'next time' were growing slimmer and slimmer.

* * *

Neji Hyuuga was greeted by hordes of beautiful women, sand robes to slide into and a lovely guest room in the left wing of the palace that night, when he reached the sand Kazekage's tower several hours after sundown. Meeting with Gaara had been so...so cleansing and necessary. Now he felt over adorned, and he despised it. If he were thinking like a ninja, he would have left that night, but if he were thinking like a realist, he would have noted that no doubt traveling without a partner during the dark hours of the evening was a life threatening endeavor.

Not that he would get any sleep here.

Not after the way that meeting with Gaara went.

* * *

With the procedure scheduled for the next day, it was laughable to think that anyone within the confines of Kakashi Hatake's apartment got a wink of sleep. The silver haired jonin himself wouldn't fall into bed at all that night, and Sasuke and Naruto, who were widely known for causing a ruckus especially at the most inappropriate of times, had struggled to sleep for an hour past might night until they simply gave up.

_He had screamed at Tsunade for what seemed like hours, and now his raw throat spat out every word painfully, only feeding his fury. _

_"I'm sick of fighting!" He had snarled. "Fighting Sasuke and you and the whole goddamn world!"_

"_No one asked you to fight Naruto. We didn't even ask you to like it, just to accept it. It's Sasuke's choice. Hell, don't accept it, I don't care, so long as you respect it."_

"Sasuke?"

"Yes, dobe?"

"You think you'll forget about me?"

Lying in bed silently, after all, had been disturbingly calm. Sasuke had made peace with it himself; he didn't care about remembering any of the pain and loss he had suffered in the thousands of lonely nights he was away from Naruto. And plus, he had loved him even back when they were children and fear of him admitting to himself about being gay had turned into hatred for himself, and hatred for Naruto. Love to fear to hate. And somehow, someway love had found him again. And it would always find him. For that reason, he wasn't concerned.

"Obviously I won't forget about you. I…I liked you back then too, remember?"  
"Yeah but…" Fighting it was so exhausting and Sasuke was always so relentless. He wasn't going to change his mind, he'd just try and convince Naruto that it was the right thing to do and that they'd be fine. He wasn't just afraid Sasuke'd forget all about him, or forget how much he loved him, he was afraid of something more sinister.

"But what?" Sasuke snapped, letting on to be more irritated than he was. He turned away from Naruto's back and stared hard at the wall. "Just spit it out. What's bothering you so much?"

"What if all that shit that happened… Orochimaru, our fighting, the death of your family and stuff…What if that was what made you, you know, _you?"_

Sasuke had been afraid of that.

"I'm not afraid of that. Have a little faith in me. "

"Teme, you're so brave."

Sasuke swallowed heavily, finding Naruto's hand as he turned back over.

"No, I'm not." He whispered, squeezing Naruto's hand.

"Whaddya mean? Of course you are. If you can go through all that crap than you can prevent some jutsu from whipping out your whole personality."

"See Naruto…" Sasuke swallowed. "I'm not brave …because I'm not sure if I can prevent _anything_. But you know what? I'm so fucking sick of fighting. It's exhausting I just want to lie here, except it, and get the hell on with our lives!" _Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry, Sasuke._ "If I don't remember you…well then I'm sorry. But this is the way it _has_ to be."

"You're still brave, teme." Sasuke stopped holding back now, the tears were flowing fresh and warm. Naruto sat up, and Sasuke's body moved on its own. In an instant, they were locking eyes. "You don't have to believe in you because I do." It was less comforting, more of a reprimand for Sasuke being so stupid.

"Naruto…I'm just really, really …scared."

Naruto seemed to stare at him for an eternity; Sasuke appearing mortified at his awkward, open crying and slumped till his head was on his knees. Soon the blonde broke their gaze and was digging around in his nightstand. When he came back with a kunai gripped in his hand, Sasuke's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"What's that for? You're not suggesting we pull a Romeo and Juliet are you?" The raven haired boy scoffed. "Because you can forget about it."

Rather than explaining anything or arguing sarcastically and wasting time, Naruto sliced open his thumb with a brush of the knife to his finger. He hissed in pain and red droplets spattered the sheets.

"I just cleaned the bedding! You moron, what are you doing?"

"Sasuke, just trust me okay? Calm down. Give me your hand." Out of blind faith, he let Naruto take his wrist by force and place his lips on Sasuke's thumb. "Teme, close your eyes…" And Sasuke did as told. The pain was nothing more than a pinprick but the image of his bleeding thumb and the torn ridges of his finger print send churning nausea through his stomach.

"I still don't-"

Naruto pressed their thumbs together with one of his calloused, unused hands and kissed Sasuke hard on the mouth. At first Sasuke was shocked, disgusted, but somehow It lessened the pain. He fell over, back hitting the bed and arching his spine, Naruto poised above him, deepening their kiss.

"N-n…"

"We're blood brothers now." Naruto's smile was so innocent it ripped at his rapidly beating heart. "So you can't forget me. No matter how hard you try or how little you believe in yourself. Because now you've got that big ugly scar to remind you of me!"

"I love you." Sasuke managed to blurt out to the blonde between kisses.

"Let's fight everything together."

* * *

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